DEREKYE MAURICE BOLAR, 35, of Federal Way, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release for seven counts of pharmacy robbery, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. BOLAR is suspected in 15 pharmacy robberies between March of 2008 and April 2009. The robberies occurred along the I-5 corridor, as far south as Portland, Oregon and as far north as Lynnwood, Washington. In each case BOLAR demanded and stole large amounts of Oxycontin – a narcotic pain medication. At sentencing Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik said these robberies were “severely traumatic events for the people in the store.”

According to records filed in the case, BOLAR was linked to armed and unarmed robberies of a number of pharmacies in Seattle, Puyallup, Kirkland, Bellevue, Renton, and Lynnwood, Washington and in Portland, Oregon. During some of the robberies, BOLAR entered the store, pointed a gun at the pharmacist, and demanded all the OxyContin in the safe containing narcotics. A combination of events led to BOLAR’s arrest. In the last robbery in Bellevue, the use of a tracking device in the narcotics, allowed law enforcement to track BOLAR. Unfortunately, BOLAR was able to flee the getaway car, avoiding arrest. In late April, BOLAR’s picture was later shown on Washington’s Most Wanted on KCPQ television. A viewer recognized BOLAR and provided his address to law enforcement. He was arrested April 28, 2009.

In asking for a lengthy sentence, Special Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Colasurdo noted that BOLAR had been convicted just two years earlier of second degree robbery. BOLAR “repeatedly entered pharmacies, often times armed with a gun, to steal OxyContin, a very addictive and highly sought after drug on the streets. In doing so, he created an incredible amount of fear, forever changing the lives of his victims,” Mr. Colasurdo wrote in his sentencing memo.

The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department, with the assistance of the police departments in Bellevue, Renton, Kirkland, Lynnwood, Puyallup, and Portland.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Colasurdo. Mr. Colasurdo is a Deputy King County Prosecutor, specially designated to prosecute gun crimes in federal court.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@USDOJ.Gov.

Return to Top